Pence



UNITED TATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. H. DENNIS, OF STEAM MILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,844, dated November 27, 1855.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. H. DENNIs, of Steam Mill, in the county of lVarren and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents an elevation of the fence; Fig. 2, a top View; Fig. 3, a Vertical section on line a' w of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference in the several figures denote the same part of the fence.

The object of my invention is to furnish a mode of connecting the rails and posts of portable .fences so that the rail may be secured with any desired inclination to the post, in order that the undulation of the ground may be followed by the fence while the posts maintain a Vertical position.

The inventionconsists in connecting the rails with the posts by obliquely grooving the under face of the rail near its end, so as to fit upon a convex bot-tomed mortise in the post, and be secured therein, with any desired inolination to the post, by a wedge between the upper surface of the rail and the top of the mortise, also convex. The details of construction and Operation are as follows:

In the drawing A A are the posts, and B B the rails. The posts are constructed with mortises a in one side, partly covered by face pieces c. The top and bottom of each'mortise are in form as shown in Fig. 3-concave in the middle and convex on the edges. The under faces of the rails B are grooved near the end, so as to fit upon the conveX portions e of the mortise. grooves have the required obliquity for the worm of the fence. Between the top of the rails and the conVeX portions (Z of the mortise top, are wedges 'w securing the -rail in the desired position.

In setting up this fenoe the posts are placed Vertically upon the ground, and the groove of a rail placed upon a conVeX portion e of the mortise. The desired inclination to make it conform to the surface of the ground is then given the rail, and a wedge w driven in. The palings are passed through mortises in the rails, which are so regulated as to permit the palings to maintain a Vertical position without regard to the inclination of the rails. The conVeX portions (Z and 8 of the top and bottom of the mortise permit the groove g and Wedge w to act with the same effect in fastening the rail, without regard to .the inclination of the rail. The opening to the mortise below the face piece permit-s a circulation of air to 'prevent the rotting of the ends of the rails.

Having described my invention and the operation of the same, I claim as my invention- The herein described mode of connecting the rail and post, by mortise with convex top and bottom, and groove g, constructed, arranged and Operating substantially as, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

. H. H. DENNIS.

VVitnesses GEO. PA'r'rEN, JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD.

These 

